Reusable package



Aug. 26, 1969 J. J. SZOSTEK REUSABLE PACKAGE Filed March 18, 1968 JAN/Emma (/OSEP/i /0///V 520522;

1 :759. 7 W 15 ArraeA/E United States Patent 3,463,309 REUSABLE PACKAGE Joseph John Szostek, 911 S. Candota, Mount Prospect, Ill. 60056 Filed Mar. 18, 1968, Ser. No. 713,982 Int. Cl. B6511 73/00 US. Cl. 20678 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A reusable package for general merchandising of small articles consisting of a transparent plastic sheet vacuumformed or molded into a preformed package consisting of an article-holding compartment and a reclosable cover therefor, both carried by a semi-rigid panel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A reusable package providing an article-holding compartment and a cover therefor, wherein the article-holding compartment as well as its cover is heat-sealed along their peripheral edges to a semi-rigid carrier panel, with the cover, except for a base flange and hinge, separable from the carrier panel. The package may include a preformed article-holding compartment and cover integrally connected together by a hinge portion, with the package completely removable from the carrier panel and reusable as a separate and distinct entity.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawing in which there are shown the preferred forms of construction of a reusable package embodying the invention hereinafter described.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan elevational view of one form of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the reusable package shown in FIG. 1, with the cover open;

FIG. 3 is a detailed sectional of the form of reusable package shown in FIG. 1 taken on line 33 thereof;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the modified form of the invention as shown in FIG. 4, mounted on a carrier panel;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another modified form of the reusable package embodying this invention;

FIG. 7 is a detailed sectional view of the modified form of the package as shown in FIG. 6, with the cover in a closed position.

The reusable package of this invention concerns itself with the general merchandising of small articles wherein the package is initially sealed so as to contain the article therein, and so constructed that it may be opened and reused as a storage container for such articles.

Referring to FIG. 1 there is shown one form of a reusable package which includes a semi-rigid carrier panel 10 preferably formed from fiberboard or cardboard.

An article-carrying member 11 of molded transparent plastic is mounted in the carrier panel 10, and includes side walls 12 and 13 and one end wall 14, all of which cooperate with a portion of the carrier panel 10 to form an article compartment 15 open at one end. The end wall 14 and side walls 12 and 13 terminate into a continuous laterally extending peripheral flange 16 spaced inwardly of the longitudinal edges 17 of the panel 10, which is adapted to be heat-sealed onto one face of the carrier panel as clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and in a manner well known in the art. A cover 18 is provided for the article-carrying compartment 15 and includes a substantially flat top wall 19 having depending side and end walls 20 and 21, of a width equal to the end wall 14 and side walls 12 and 13 of the article-carrying member 11 so that they lie in facial abutment therewith when the cover 18 is closed over the article-carrying compartment 15. The cover is of a length at least twice that of the articlecarrying member 11 so as to be capable of containing within the compartment 15 articles of various forms and lengths.

The side and end walls 20 and 21 of the cover 18 terminate into laterally extending peripheral flanges 22 and 23 with the flanges 22 forming a base member 24.

As clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 the base member 24 is of a size greater than the peripheral flanges 22 and 23 of the side and end walls 20 and 21 of the cover 18, and has formed therein throughout its longitudinal length a raised rib 25, which functions as a hinge for the cover 18.

The opposite end wall 20 of the cover 18, which is adapted to lie over the end wall 14 of the article-carrying member 11, provides a flat tongue 26, which has a like formed peripheral flange 27 adapted to overlie an area of the carrier panel 10 defined by a line of perforations 28 which permits such portion of the cover panel 10 to be readily separated from the remainder of the carrier panel 10 to expose the tongue 26 and permit it to function as a finger grip for the cover 18.

In constucting the reusable package as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the article-carrying member 11 has its peripheral flange 16 heat-sealed upon the carrier panel 10 adjacent one end thereof. The cover 18 has its base member 24 heat-sealed upon the carrier panel 10 adjacent its opposite end. The laterally extending peripheral flanges 22 on the base of the side walls 20 are heat sealable upon the carrier panel 10, while the flange 23 is heat sealed upon the corresponding laterally extending peripheral flange 16 of the carrier panel 10.

A user of the package need only remove the perforated tab portion 28 formed in the carrier panel 10 to expose the tongue 26. By gripping the tongue 26, the cover 18 may be separated from the carrier panel 10, causing the peripheral flanges 22 and 23 thereof to be stripped off the peripheral flange 16 of the member 11 and carrier panel 10, with the cover 18 pivoting about the hinge forming rib 25, as seen in FIG. 2

The side walls 20 and the one end wall 21 of the cover 18 as well as the side walls 12 and 13 and end wall 14 of the article-carrying member 11 are provided with mating indentations 30, which frictionally hold the cover 18 in closed position upon the article-carrying member 11 after it has been initially opened. Thus the cover may be hingedly pivoted away from the carrier panel 10 to expose the article compartment 15, and yet be releasably held in its closed position to retain the articles in the compartment 15.

A second embodiment of the invention is shown in a modified package in FIGS. 6 and 7 wherein the reusable package is carried on a carrier panel 31. The articlecarrying portion of the modified package 32 consists of :a generally rectangular shaped box-like base 33 having a top wall 34 supported above the panel 31 by side and end walls 35 and 36, respectively. The side and end walls 35 and 36 terminate into a laterally extending peripheral flange 37, which is adapted to be connected to the panel 31 such as by heat-sealing and the like. The wall 34 of the box-like base 33 has a preformed recess 38 molded therein, which receives a suitable 'article such as :a drill bit, as shown.

The cover 39 is of a size equal to the box-like base 33, and provides side and end walls 40 and 41, which are adapted to engage the side and end walls 35 and 36 of the box-like base 33 when the cover is closed thereon. The side and end walls 40 and 41 of the cover 39 provide a laterally extending peripheral flange 42, which when the article to be packaged is initially placed within the recess 38, is heat-sealed upon the flange 37 of the base 33. The cover 39 also provides an enlarged connection strip 43 extending laterally from the flange 42 formed on one of the end walls 41, which strip 43 provides a rib-like hinge 44 between it and the cover 39.

The opposite end wall of the cover 39 provides a lifting lug 45, which also has 'a peripheral flange 46 adapted to be initially heat-sealed upon a removable tab 47 defined by perforations 48 formed in the panel 31.

The side walls 35 and one end wall 36 of the boxlike base 33, as well as the side walls 40 and one end wall 41 of the cover 39, are provided with complementary locking elements 49, which releasably secure the cover 39 on the base 33 after the cover 39 has initially been stripped from its sealed connection thereto.

A third embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and as such the reusable package consisting of an article-carrying compartment and cover is constructed from a single sheet of plastic, and provides a rectangularly shaped base 50, which by a score line 51 is distinguished from a longitudinally extending base flange 52. Carried by the base member 50 is a raised article-carrying section 53 which provides an indented compartment 54. Molded out of the base flange 52 is a center well 55 which constitutes a cover for the articlecarrying section 53.

A carrier panel 56 is provided and has formed therein a rectangularly shaped opening 57 of a size equal to the rectangularly shaped base of the article-carrying section 53. The opening 57 in the carrier panel 56 is spaced inwardly from its bottom edge 58 a distance equal to the spacing of the raised article-carrying section 53 and well 55 to either side of the score line 51. By this arrangement the article-carrying section 53 may be projected through the opening 57 in the carrier panel 56, with its base member 50 lying in facial abutment upon one surface of the wall of the panel 56 defining the opening 57. The score line 50 will lie in the plane of the bottom edge 58 of the panel 56 so that the base flange 52 and well may be folded over the opposite face of the panel 56 and upon the article-carrying section 53 as shown in FIG. 5. By this arrangement the package may be initially mounted on to the panel 56 with the base member 50, as well as the base flange 52, heat-sealed to opposite surfaces of the panel 56 throughout the area immediately surrounding the opening 57 formed therein.

After the package has been initially stripped from the panel 56, the same may be discarded and the integrally formed article-carrying section 53 and well 55 will function as a reusable package for the article contained therein. The same construction will afford the identical results without the base member 50 and base flange 52 being heat-sealed to the carrier panel 56.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

- Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A reusable package including a semi-rigid carrier panel having an opening of a predetermined size formed therein wherein the improvement comprises:

(a) an article carrying member removably mounted on the carrier panel,

(b) said article carrying member including a raised article carrying section having side and end walls terminating into laterally extending peripheral flanges,

(c) a cover for said article carrying flange member having a peripheral flange equal in size to said peripheral flange of said article carrying section,

(d) means connecting corresponding edges of certain confronting flange portions of said cover and said article carrying section together whereby said cover may be pivoted upon and close said article carrying section,

(e) said article carrying section of said article carrying member being equal in size to the opening formed in the carrier panel and projected therein with its peripheral flange in facial abutment with one wall surface of the carrier panel and with said cover when pivoted upon said article carrying section having its peripheral flange in facial abutment with the opposite wall surface of the carrier panel so as to removably connect said reusable package in the opening of the carrier panel.

2. A reusable package as defined by claim 1 wherein said cover provides a center well of a size equal to said raised article carrying section such that the latter is received therein when said cover is pivoted thereon, with the confronting walls of said well and said article carrying section in facial abutment so as to retain any article in such package, and means provided by the confronting walls of said well and said article receiving section for restraining pivotal separation of said cover from said raised article carrying section so as to hold an article within said article carrying member.

3. A reusable package as defined by claim 2 wherein said means provided by the confronting walls of said well and said article receiving section for restraining pivotal separation comprises mating indentations formed in said confronting walls which together frictionally releasably hold said cover upon said article carrying member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,394,801 7/1968 Hanson 20678 JAMES B. MARBERT, Primary Examiner 

